Author: Jim O Brien/CEO

CEO and expert in transport and Mobile tech. A fan 20 years, mobile consultant, Nokia Mobile expert, Former Nokia/Microsoft VIP,Multiple forum tech supporter with worldwide top ranking,Working in the background on mobile technology, Weekly radio show, Featured on the RTE consumer show, Cavan TV and on TRT WORLD. Award winning Technology reviewer and blogger. Security and logisitcs Professional.

How the Pandemic Impacted the Gaming Industry and This Year’s Trends

Many industries have suffered and struggled last year because of the pandemic. However, it’s a different story for the gaming industry. Somehow, the on-going health crisis has boosted the growth of the gaming market including esports.

Lockdowns had to be implemented last year, and this forced people to stay at home and find indoor activities to be busy with. Many resorted to gaming including playing real money casino games. The best UK online casinos have reported a spike in their traffics when lockdowns have started.

Why People Resorted to Gaming

Well, to some, the pandemic happening in the modern age is still quite a blessing because it’s simply hard to stay at home if there isn’t much to do. Thanks to technology and the internet, people have plenty of things to get busy with when they weren’t allowed to go out.

Online gaming was an easy solution or answer to many who have felt boredom at home. It’s not just because they get to play any games with their computers or mobile devices. Gaming has become a social platform as well.

Through online games, people get to interact with their friends, families, or even strangers. Gone are the days when gaming has been thought to be an isolating activity. Even online casinos have the option for their players to enjoy a live dealer game and chat with other online players worldwide.

Mobile Gaming

Gaming today is also no longer an expensive hobby or activity. At least it doesn’t need to be expensive anymore. While there are still people who prefer to play with gaming consoles like PlayStation and Xbox, mobile gaming is quickly dominating the gaming market.

It’s easy to understand why mobile gaming is growing fast. People would just really rather spend money on a smartphone device rather than a computer or a gaming console. Smartphones today are becoming more and more powerful than it’s no longer just used to communicate with others. It has become a great source of entertainment for many. Some even need their smartphones to ensure productivity.

Gambling companies are also quick to adapt to the latest trends. Since the mobile market is growing, casinos are also shifting their focus this way. There are now plenty of gambling apps that people can download. Even Google is already starting to embrace this activity somehow. Recently, Google has allowed gambling apps to be on Play Store in 15 more countries.

Cloud Gaming

Technological advancements have also allowed gaming to be cheaper. Mobile gamers can now play with their friends who use gaming consoles and computers too. Cloud gaming is also becoming quickly popular. 

Even before the pandemic, cloud gaming was already getting a lot of attention. Cloud gaming allows people to play video games on different devices. It uses remote servers in data centers which means that players no longer have to download or install a game to their device.

It somehow works like video streaming platforms (Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, etc.). Players stream the game that they’d like to play and their controls are then passed on to the server where the game is installed. This is why a fast internet connection is important here.

As the 5G internet connection becomes more available worldwide, cloud gaming services will likely be more in demand. This is a great solution to cut the costs of gaming. People will no longer have to spend money on the latest gaming consoles. 

E-Sports

The pandemic has also boosted the e-sports sector. Last year, most of the major sports leagues were forced to cancel or delay their events. The English Premier League, the NBA, and the IPL all had to be rescheduled and because of that, there weren’t a lot of sports events for people to look forward to.

With this, sportsbooks had to find other ways to stay in business, and many of them have shifted their focus to other events like e-sports tournaments. E-sports is also taken more seriously nowadays. People have seen how big prize pools are and how pro players would take their games seriously. Even if professional sports events are back, likely, people who have discovered e-sports last year will still be interested in it this year.

Conclusion

The pandemic is not yet over but governments are becoming less strict when it comes to the implementation of the COVID 19 protocols. Still, 2021 and the next few years are expected to be good for the gaming industry. This year, more games will be released. PS5 took the gaming industry by storm despite a health crisis and Xbox also released Series X last year. This year will be another great one for the gamers out there. 

Perseverance lands on Mars, cloud-ready to explore. #AWS #Perseverance #NASA

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is helping NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL) reach an inaugural and innovative milestone in deep space exploration. On Thursday, February 18, NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover landed on Mars, after its 7-month, 300-million-mile journey from Earth. This is the first planetary NASA mission, with mission-critical communication and transfer of telemetry data in the cloud. During Perseverance’s mission on Mars, the science and engineering data will be processed and hosted in AWS, enabling the Mars 2020 mission to benefit from the scalability, agility, and reliability of the cloud.

Now on the surface and after completing initial checkouts, the Mars Rover team is receiving hundreds of images from Mars each day from a record number of cameras, resulting in thousands of images over Perseverance’s time on the planet. The cloud helps NASA JPL efficiently store, process, and distribute this high volume of data.

By using AWS, NASA JPL is able to process data from Mars, on Earth, faster than ever before. The increased processing speed will help NASA JPL make faster decisions on the health and safety of the rover. This information is critical for scientists and engineers to plan the rover’s next day activities. The rover requires visibility to drive, so it is important for the team to be able to send the next batch of instructions back to the rover within a specific timeframe. The increased efficiency will allow Mars 2020 to accomplish its ambitious goal of collecting more samples and driving longer distances during the prime mission, compared to previous rovers.

AWS also powers the Mars mission website. The website will be able to scale up to meet demand at any given time, with millions of visitors anticipated at peak times.

“AWS is proud to support NASA JPL’s Perseverance mission,” said Teresa Carlson, vice president, worldwide public sector and industries at AWS. “From the outset, AWS cloud services have enabled NASA JPL in its mission to capture and share mission-critical images, and help to answer key questions about the potential for life on Mars.”

Exploring with NASA JPL

To help send data back to Earth, the Mars Rover is equipped with sensors, cameras, and microphones. The sensors will gather scientific data like atmospheric information, wind speeds, and weather. The microphones will collect the sounds of the planet. This data will be processed by JPL and made publicly available so viewers can explore Mars alongside NASA JPL.

The public will also be able to track the Mars Rover location on a map and in a 3D experience that puts them in the middle of Mars and seeing the planet from the view of Perseverance. Viewers will also be able to see the raw images from the planet through several cameras whose images will be made available to the public.

AWS first started working with the NASA JPL Mars 2020 Rover team more than five years ago in preparation for this mission. Before Perseverance left Earth, the public also participated in the “Name the Rover” essay contest and signed up to send their own names to Mars in the “Send Your Name to Mars” campaign. Both the contest and the campaign websites were powered by AWS. A middle school student from Virginia won the competition to name the Mars Rover, and almost 11 million names are stenciled on a chip that is flying onboard Perseverance. Already more than four million people have signed up to send their names aboard the next mission, taking off in 2026.

Participate and learn more

Explore as Perseverance begins sending back data. Vote for your favorite image of the week, receive daily weather reports, and more. Check out more about AWS’s work with NASA JPL, and the Mars Rover. Read more about how the AWS Aerospace and Satellites team is enabling successful space missions.

https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/publicsector/perseverance-lands-mars-cloud-ready-explore/

Solitaired Reimagines Classic Card Game With Historical and Educational Decks. #Solitaired #Cards #Apps

Online card game platform Solitaired is upping the ante with its new and exquisitely designed trivia decks. Players around the world can discover fun facts about some of history’s most fascinating figures here with Genshin Accounts for sale

The browser-based site offers more than 500 classic solitaire games, making them the perfect opportunity to educate and entertain yourself during COVID-19-enforced lockdowns. Enjoy the likes of card-based classics such as Solitaire, FreeCell, and Spider, all with an educational spin.

Created in collaboration with partners like Encyclopedia Britannica, the Jeopardy-winning biographers of Who2, and MIT’s Lemelson program, the educational deck designs have been created to add an additional flare to the hugely popular card games. For those who enjoy a mental workout beyond cards, exploring free online crossword games can be a great way to challenge your mind while staying entertained.

 

 

Created in collaboration with partners like Encyclopedia Britannica, the Jeopardy-winning biographers of Who2, and MIT’s Lemelson program, the educational deck designs have been created to add an additional flare to the hugely popular card games.

Solitaired founders, Neal Taparia and Darshan Somashekar previously created and sold EasyBib, an education software company that reached 30 million students annually, and looked at how games could be used to teach.

Somashekar said, “Solitaire continues to be one of the most popular games played. Millions of people play it every day as a fun way to take a break. Instead of just traditional cards, we saw an opportunity to shake things up and tell a story around fascinating figures. Now, when millions of people play this classic game, not only will they have fun, they’ll learn about individuals who’ve made a difference too.” 

Play Solitaired in your browser, at solitaired.com, or download the free app on Android

Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos Launches its Epic Quest on Nintendo Switch and PC Today. #Gaming

Team17 and Heliocentric Studios have opened the gates to roguelite adventure Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos on PC and Nintendo Switch, allowing players from far and wide to venture forth either solo or with up to three friends in local and online co-operative gameplay, and work together to save the land of Tasos from the sinister Titans.

 

Rest up weary traveller, this launch trailer will prepare you:

 

 

Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos takes players on a journey across the land of Tasos and into the depths of challenging, procedurally assembled dungeons located throughout the world. Gems earned during dungeon runs can be used to rebuild your home town of Intori, which in turn grants access to upgrades that can improve your warriors as well as unlocking other classes and equipment.

Players can help each other out in co-operative play, either locally or online, but those who take on the challenge will have their experiences tailored to them, with puzzles and challenges scaling depending on the number of players. Each hero can be customised, along with a selection of classes, all of which have their own abilities and benefits in gameplay, and players wanting a taste of the action can try a free demo on Steam and Nintendo Switch right now.

 

Key Features:

  • Four-player co-op adventuring: Up to four players can explore the lands of Tasos and tackle the dungeons, assisting and reviving each other to earn victory together
  • Roguelite dungeon-crawling: Take on procedurally-generated dungeons packed with a variety of monsters, earning gems to spend on upgrades to get further in the next run
  • Town and class upgrades: Each run in the dungeon earns heroes gems to spend on upgrades, including the facilities in the town, as well as player abilities and stats
  • Classic gameplay reinvented: This is top-down adventuring brought into the modern day with colourful visuals and a number of options for combat, puzzle-solving, and exploration.

 

Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos is available on all platforms for £15.99 / €19.99 / $19.99.

To keep up to date with all the information on Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos please like on Facebook, follow on Twitter, and join the conversation on Discord.

Microchip to Invest $20M in a New Development Centre in Cork. #Microchip #IDA #Jobs

Microchip Technology is investing $20M to create a new development centre based in Cork. The new facility will open during Q1 CY21 and create 60 new jobs over the next three years and approximately 200 jobs within the next seven years. The creation of this centre will reinforce Microchip’s existing presence in Ireland and boost the pool of engineering talent across key skills. Located close to the city centre, this new facility will incorporate an engineering lab to support state-of-the-art innovation and extend Microchip’s regional customer support. The project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

Initially, the development centre will focus on mixed-signal integrated circuit design, applications and software development for high-speed networking, timing and synchronization products, high voltage power management devices and solutions, high reliability integrated power systems and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA).

Close partnerships with Irish universities will enable the Microchip development centre to offer internships and collaborate on key next-generation initiatives. The partnership between the development centre and leading Universities in Ireland will enhance the knowledge base and skill levels of engineers in the semiconductor development space in Ireland.

The development centre will also participate in Microchip’s New College Graduate (NCG) programme, which operates worldwide, and in the Government of Ireland’s Skillnet programme which promotes the development of future skills.

The development centre will build on Microchip’s existing presence in Ireland which is a mix of operations in Dublin, Cork and Ennis. As part of a network of development centres across Europe, the Cork development centre will work seamlessly with many Microchip business units. The creation of jobs will include engineers for integrated circuit design and testing, hardware and software system design, applications development plus field and customer support.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said “I welcome Microchip Technology’s $20m investment in a new development centre in Cork. Eventually this centre will create 200 new jobs and is further testament to the depth of engineering and research talent in the country. The partnerships established with leading Irish universities will also ensure strong opportunities for graduates in the growing digital economy. I wish them every success.”

 Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment Leo Varadkar TD said: “This is really welcome news from Microchip. There is a deep pool of talent in Cork and the South West enabling companies like Microchip to grow and embed their operations in Ireland. This investment will result in the creation of 60 new jobs over the next three years, with a further expansion of up to 200 over the next seven years. Congratulations to the team involved and best of luck for the future.”

 “The new Microchip development centre in Cork will establish a significant R&D presence in Ireland and emphasise Microchip’s commitment to Ireland and Europe as a whole,’ explains Ganesh Moorthy, President and CEO-Elect of Microchip. “Cork was chosen for the development centre as it is the second-largest city in Ireland, with a growing pool of talented engineers and the Centre will add to Microchip’s ability to deliver superior products and be able to provide timely response to our customers. Availability of analogue and mixed-signal talent is another key factor in selecting Cork.”

IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan said: “Today’s announcement by Microchip is very welcome. The company’s investment in a new development centre aligns with IDA’s Strategy to attract engineering development activity to Ireland and to secure investments for regional locations. I wish Microchip every success with this initiative.” 

Poly launches Savi 7300 Series: Teams-certified noise-cancelling headsets for the open office

Poly today introduced the Savi 7300 Office Series, the latest addition in the company’s line-up of popular Savi wireless headsets. The Savi 7300 Office Series, designed with enhanced DECT™ security and Poly’s best-in-class audio, delivers confidence that you’re getting the highest degree of privacy and call clarity for all conversations, even in shared spaces like call centres and customer service hubs.

“Privacy and security continue to be two of the most requested features that global leaders, especially those in financial services, government, healthcare and contact centres look for in today’s headsets for their workforces,” said John Lamarque, vice president and general manager, voice collaboration, Poly. “At Poly, we address these needs head-on with pro-grade wireless headsets on which our customers can rely.”

Greater Conversation Privacy and Security

The Savi 7300 Office Series offers Poly’s Acoustic Fence microphone technology so workers will always be heard, but never overheard. Built with the latest DECT™ wireless technology, the Savi 7300 Office Series ensures that even the strictest internal security requirements for wireless headsets are met with ease.

The Savi 7300 Office Series is designed to the highest level of DECT™ Security Step C, and is further enhanced with 256-bit AES encryption, the same level of maximum protection used for military communications.

Poly Savi 7310
Poly Savi 7320

Superior Density Performance

The Savi 7300 Office Series’ top-notch use of the DECT™ spectrum provides 2x better density compared to other DECT headsets and allows more people to work in the same area without being overheard. The Savi 7300 Office Series is ideal for industries who regularly deal with sensitive information in highly dense call center areas, like finance and healthcare, where secure, superior performance and connectivity are an essential part of day-to-day operations, no matter how many others might be nearby when taking a call.

Microsoft Teams Open Office Certification

Thanks to its Acoustic Fence technology, Savi 7300 Office Series has been awarded the Microsoft Teams Open Office certification, certifying that the headset only picks up the voice of the headset user, but not the sound of others in an open space. In addition to the Teams certification, the Teams version of the Savi 7300 Office Series comes with a dedicated Teams button so it’s easy to start a meeting and get notifications, and still sound great.

“The need for security and privacy has never been a more critical piece of what businesses demand from devices today,” said Mohamed Alaa Saayed, ICT Industry Director & Fellow – Connected Work, Frost & Sullivan. “Organisations are busier than ever and workplaces like call centres are often ground zero for some of the most important conversations – from healthcare, to finance, to customer services – making the privacy and reliability of Savi 7300 Office Series that much more essential to keeping day-to-day operations seamless and secure.”

The Savi 7300 Office Series is available today on Poly.com and with authorised resellers  worldwide. For more information on pricing and availability, please visit: Savi 7300 Office Series

10 Ways to Maintain GDPR Compliance on Your Business Website. #GDPR

GDPR can prove to be a minefield for unprepared businesses, so keep reading if you’re looking for some simple tips to remain GDPR compliant on your website…

Utter the letters GDPR (in the order, of course) and some business owners will instinctively shudder. In May 2018, data protection reforms were enforced, which meant that the General Data Protection Regulation was brought into effect, helping to protect the personal information of people whilst online.

The GDPR is widely considered to be the world’s strongest set of data protection rules, which places limitations on what organisations can do with the personal data they collect. Such data could include something as obvious as an individual’s name, or something more sensitive like their racial or ethnic origin.

In short, regulatory compliance is non-negotiable; failing to comply with GDPR simply isn’t an option for any business, no matter how big or small. Any breach, intentional or not, can result in a heavy fine, so how can businesses ensure to comply on their websites? Read on to find out…

10 Tips for Maintaining GDPR on Your Business Website?

1.) Understand the Law in Detail

First thing’s first, you’re going to need a comprehensive understanding of the law surrounding GDPR and what it can mean for your business. The best way of doing that is by hearing it straight from the horse’s mouth.

The government have published an extensive guide on GDPR, explaining every single legislation, with no stone left unturned. There’s no promising that it’s going to be a particularly compelling read. That said, it’s important that you review it and make sure you understand how it will apply to your businesses’ website. 

2.) Staff Training and Awareness

The people that will be responsible for maintaining GDPR compliance will be your employees. So, it’s a good idea to make sure that they are well trained and aware of their obligations when it comes to handling personal data.

Training doesn’t have to be as intense as reading the entire guide to GDPR word for word. However, you should make sure to stress to your employees the importance of making safety and privacy their top priorities.

3.) Conduct Regular Risk Assessments

Granted, risk assessments aren’t exactly thrilling, but nor is being hit with an avoidable fine. An effective risk assessment will help your business to identify if there are any potential threats to the way you’re storing and transferring data.

From here, you’ll have a clearer idea as to how you can beef up your security processes, ensuring that you remain within the parameters of GDPR.

4.) Audit Any Personal Data You Hold

The personal data that your website stores – where did it come from, where’s it going, how long will you hold it for? These are the sorts of questions you should be asking to ensure that you’re able to keep it secure.

Finding and recording answers to all of these questions can be made that much easier by carrying out an audit. From here, you can reduce the number of physical places that data is being stored in. This should help to establish a sustainable framework for keeping customers and clients’ information secure.

5.) Have a Policy Management System in Place

Staying on top of GDPR compliance isn’t always a simple task, especially when your business is using methods of communication such as email and corporate internet. So, to help counteract this potential stumbling block, your business should consider implementing policy management software.

This can help to streamline internal processes, as you’ll have a centralised solution for creating and distributing sensitive documents. This will make it much easier to keep track of compliance.

6.) Establish Procedures to Report Data Breaches

The GDPR requires that all organisations which experience data breaches that compromise personal data should notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Failure to alert the ICO will lead to further fines – far from ideal.

So, to avoid this from happening, your business will need to have robust procedures in place that can quickly detect, report and investigate breaches. 

7.) Ensure all Endpoints are Fully Protected

To achieve full GDPR compliance, all of your endpoints should be fully protected. For those not already in the know, this is the practice of securing any potential entry points in user devices, such as laptops, from malicious attacks.

To demonstrate compliance, businesses are required to show that they have taken all the necessary steps to secure their systems. This includes evidence of updates, and patches being applied to security software.

8.) Update Your Privacy Policy

If your business collects personal data on its website, then you’ll need to make sure that you have an updated privacy policy that covers some essential ground. Privacy policies that are GDPR compliant cover a few essential pieces of information, such as:

 

  • Your identity
  • How information will be used
  • Your legal basis for processing data
  • Your data retention records

9.) Review How You Record Consent

If you rely on getting individual’s consent to process personal data, there are specific standards that must be met. 

This means that your business may feel it necessary to review the systems you have in place for recording consent, ensuring that you have an audit trail that can be presented if required.

10.) Appoint a Data Protection Officer

Organisations that employee more than 250 people, are a public authority, or are involved in the regular and systematic monitoring of data subjects on a large scale, should appoint a data protection officer.

Data protection officers can take proper responsibility for data protection compliance, as well as having the in-depth knowledge to do their job effectively.

Are You Trying to Make Sure Your Businesses’ Website Is GDPR Compliant?

So, there you have it! Follow these tips closely and you shouldn’t go too far wrong when it comes to staying GDPR compliant.

Have you got any more GDPR tips you think would be worth sharing? Feel free to leave a comment below with your own suggestions!

Konftel’s New Business Webcam Will Accelerate Hybrid Working Trends. #Konftel #Webcams

Conferencing and collaboration specialist Konftel has launched a business webcam for desktop users who demand professional quality personal video meetings, at home or in the office. Be sure to see our thoughts soon on techbuzzireland.. 

The Konftel Cam10 combines big performance with compact styling and has been designed for today’s hybrid working trends – where more and more business critical meetings take place online.

The stylish device features a wide 90° field of view, two built-in microphones, 1080p (30fps) full HD picture quality and a 4 x digital zoom. It’s a perfect home and traditional office companion, or for wherever people are working.

Award-winning Konftel has a trading pedigree stretching back more than three decades spanning all four corners of the globe. It was the very first company to manufacture and sell a commercial conference phone and has grown into one of the biggest players in the world for collaboration endpoint solutions, bringing people closer together. The introduction of the Cam10 is yet another iteration of Konftel’s innovative work and its mission to create powerful conferencing solutions.

“The Konftel Cam10 is a business class webcam that reflects the massive demand from desktop users seeking professional quality personal video meetings, based on an enhanced visual and audio experience,” says Regional Sales Director, Jeff May. “There’s been tremendous early interest for our latest high performance innovation, and the Konftel Cam10 will further accelerate more flexible ways of working.”

Based on simple plug-and-play USB connectivity, the portable Konftel Cam10 features easy set-up and operation, innovative picture noise reduction technology, low light capabilities and swift autofocus. The generous and natural looking field of view also helps capture content, such as from a whiteboard, in striking clarity. 

“Whatever the preferred app or cloud service, the Konftel Cam10 fits all personal collaboration needs perfectly. Just connect the USB cable to a laptop or stationary PC and users are good to go,” Product Manager Torbjörn Karlsson explains.

He also highlights how when placed in an optimal position on top of the main screen, the Konftel Cam10 enables users to make eye contact instead of just showing their head profile – improving the quality of interaction. “The Konftel Cam10 promotes a natural viewing experience and is ideal for users with single or multiple external displays. It makes webcam communication natural and easy.”

The Konftel Cam10 uses a standard damping bracket for easy and stable installation, whilst there’s the option of tripod mounting for alternative camera placement. The webcam’s two built-in microphones deliver impressive audio pick-up, supported by noise suppression technology. In a common scenario the screen speakers often perform as audio output but an improved option is to complement the Konftel Cam10 with the professional speakerphone Konftel Ego, creating an enhanced experience through Konftel’s renowned OmniSound audio technology.

In addition, a mechanical shutter functions as a built-in lens cap, to ensure complete privacy, integrity and security.

Jeff May emphasises: “You only get one chance to create a good first impression which makes high quality video and audio even more critical especially in an age where ever more business meetings take place online. It used to be a suit or a handbag or a watch that impressed in a physical meeting room, now it’s the sharpness and clarity of a video feed. And if you’re sharp and clear, presentations or negotiations and interactions are going to be 100 per cent more impactful.”

He concludes: “The Konftel Cam10 is personal, productive and performance-driven. Don’t settle for second best and an inferior impression!” 

Konftel is certified in line with the Climate Neutral standard. This means when users choose a Konftel product, there is an instant climate benefit from the very first distance meeting that replaces a business trip. Konftel offset all greenhouse gas emissions and is taking action to further reduce those emissions.  The Climate Neutral Certified label, indicates its products are climate neutral.

The Konftel Cam10 is priced at £109 (MSRP).

Apple TV+ is now available on Google TV. #AppleTV #GoogleTV #Streaming

Great news if you are using the Apple TV app, including Apple TV+, as it is now globally available on the new Chromecast with Google TV, with more Google TV devices to come. To access the Apple TV app, navigate to the Apps tab or the apps row in the For you tab.

Google TV gives users with subscriptions to Apple TV+ the ability to tune into award-winning original shows, movies and documentaries from the world’s most creative storytellers. You can enjoy Apple Originals, including series like “Ted Lasso,” which was recently nominated for two Golden Globes, “For All Mankind” season two debuting tomorrow, “The Morning Show” and “Servant,” as well as movies like “Greyhound” and “Palmer.” The Apple TV app also gives you access to your library of movie and TV show purchases from Apple, as well as personalized and curated recommendations and Apple TV channels. And with Family Sharing, up to six family members can share subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple TV channels.

With Google TV in the U.S., you can browse Apple Originals in your personalized recommendations and search results. And with Google Assistant, you can also use your voice to ask Google to open the Apple TV app or play an Apple Original title. If you aren’t ready to watch right away, you can add Apple Originals to your Watchlist for later. These features will roll out globally in the coming months.

The Chromecast with Google TV is packed with the latest technology — it streams crystal-clear video in up to 4K HDR at up to 60 frames per second and now has a voice remote. The remote has a dedicated Google Assistant button that helps you find something to watch, answer everyday questions like “how’s the weather?” or dim your compatible smart home lights with just your voice. It also eliminates the need for multiple remotes thanks to programmable TV controls for power, volume and input.

In addition to Chromecast with Google TV, the Apple TV app will also be available on Google TVs from Sony and TCL. We plan to roll out to more Android TV-powered devices in the coming months.